Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

INDEX

Sr. No. Topic Page No.

1. Synopsis 1

2. Introduction 2

3. Summary 3

4. Data analysis 6

5. Competitor’s 7

6. NDTV Imagine’s strategy 9

7. Research Method 10

8. Product Life Cycle 13

9. Recommendation 14

10. Limitation 16

11. conclusion 17

12. Questionnaire 18

13. Bibliography 21

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

SYNOPSIS

THE LAUNCH

As NDTV Imagine is launched very recently, we thought this topic

would be new and fresh to consider it as our project. The fact that usually
everyone thinks of doing a project on a product i.e. materialistic product
or some brand which is well known by all which would make doing
research easy.

We wanted to stick to a topic which would come to no one’s mind

easily thus leading us to have a unique topic and this is how we decided on
NDTV Imagine.

The project will be focusing on the introduction of the 24 – hour

General Entertainment Channel (GEC) i.e. NDTV Imagine. It will also be
discussing about strategies adopted by NDTV Imagine on entering the
market of general entertainment space. The channel started airing on
television screens from January 21st 2008.

Apart from discussing about the channel and its programming the
project will also highlight about its relation with its other competitors like
Star Plus, Zee TV etc. It will also give brief idea on NDTV Imagine’s
competition with its other newly launched channels like INX Media’s 9X,
Zee Group’s Zee Next, and UTV’s Bindass.

The project will also talk about the Product Life Cycle (PLC) Stages
and will place NDTV Imagine on one of its stages. It will highlight a
particular stage and explain it in brief.

Along with this the project will also talk about strategies adopted by
NDTV Imagine and the based on the project we will further suggest
Competitive Strategies to remain in the same genre.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

INTRODUCTION

Banking on its target to

reach 80-90 per cent of the 70 In the weekdays (Mon-Thu)
million cable homes within the prime time (7-11 pm), NDTV
first few weeks, NDTV Imagine, Imagine claims to enjoy the third
the general entertainment spot in the Hindi GEC space with
channel (GEC) from Delhi-based a relative channel share of 6.6 per
broadcaster NDTV, the channel cent.
was set to hit television screens
from January 21, 2008. NDTV Imagine,
spearheaded by NDTV Imagine
NDTV Imagine is the fifth- CEO Sameer Nair
channel from NDTV Networks.
Their other channels are news
channels such as NDTV 24x7
(English), NDTV India (Hindi),
NDTV Profit (business) and
NDTV Good times (lifestyle
channel).

NDTV Imagine is the third

GEC to be launched in the last
four months, after INX Media’s
9X and Zee Group’s Zee Next,
into the general entertainment
space.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

ENTERTAINMENT
NDTV Imagine offers programming across genres, ranging from
mythology and light-hearted family soaps to family dramas and from high
voltage music and dance entertainers to the most glamorous events in the
entertainment business. The channel has launched shows like
 Ramayan,
 Dharam Veer,
 Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan,
 Dhoom Macha De,
 Radhaa Ki Betiyan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi,
 Ek Packet Umeed,
 Raajkumar Aaryyan,
 Say Shava Shava and
 Jasuben Jayantilaal Joshi Ki Joint Family.

For its launch week ratings, the channel’s driver show, ‘Ramayan’,
has averaged at 2.3 TVR (Television Rating), registering growth over last
week. ‘Say Shava Shava’ has ended with a 1.1
TVR, while ‘Dharam Veer’, too, has grown to
get episodes ratings above the 1 TVR and
‘Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan’ is delivering in
the Hindi heartland to get ratings crossing
the 1 TVR-mark as well.

A format show that debuted on the

channel in February, ‘Dhoom Macha De’, has
opened to a 0.9 TVR over a three-hour
telecast. The show was competing with
weekend content like Zee’s ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ and Star Plus’ ‘Star Voice of
India’.
At an all-day, all-week level, the channel has beaten most to be in
the third slot, and has now introduced the one-hour weeklies, a schedule

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

that Star Plus had let go of some time back.

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THE TIE – UP
Kreeda Games has tied up with NDTV Imagine's show Nachle
Ve with Saroj Khan, for their online dancing game, 'danceMELA'.
With this tie-up, danceMELA, is the official gaming partner for Nachle Ve
with Saroj Khan and NDTV Imagine being the official TV partner for the
game.

Quentin Staes-Polet, CEO, Kreeda Games, shared, “The tie up gives

us presence in mass media since television is a stronger medium and
provides us the ability to show our products and services in a live manner
to our target audience. For NDTV, it is a beneficial experiment to start
with, since those connected to the internet shall be aware of their channel
and the show through this tie up".

Film-maker Karan Johar’s C

Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd is a
minority stakeholder in NDTV
Imagine Ltd, a part of New Delhi
Television Ltd and Johar, also a
popular talk show host, is the
brand ambassador of the
channel.

In the latest TAM report the channel shares the number three slot
with Sony, ahead of Sahara, Star One, Sab and 9X. With its weekly Gross
Rating Points (GRPs) at 86 are higher than Sony’s (80). The channel has
also improved its weekly reach from 41 per cent to 43 per cent.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

ADVERTISERS

NDTV Imagine has already attracted brands like Hindustan

Unilever, Paras, Emami, Cadburys, Colgate, Idea, Tata Telecom, General
Motors and Hero Honda and HP.
The channel's initial strategy is to undersell and rope in strong brands by
offering them clutter free ad space. While most GECs have a six-minute
break every half hour, NDTV Imagine has it every hour. In a couple of
days, advertisers such Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nokia will be on board.

NDTV Imagine has already signed up Idea Cellular and Clinic All
Clear as the lead sponsors for reality shows Dhoom Macha De and
Shava-Shava respectively. The channel has also roped in celebrities such
as veteran choreographer Saroj Khan and film director and TV show host
Karan Johar for different shows.

But, with a number of established GEC’s such as Star Plus, Zee TV

(the two leaders), Sony TV and new players such as 9X and Zee Next, how
will NDTV Imagine attract both viewer ship and advertising money? That
is the million dollar question.

For this Mr. Nair says, “Our aim is to be visible in most cities. We
should be available on the prime band in all major metros. Both viewers
and advertisers will come on the basis of our content, I can assure that.”

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

MARKET SCENARIO

In their first 13 days, Bindass and Zee Next, channels from the stable of
UTV Global Broadcasting Ltd and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd,
respectively, had a market share of 0.4% each and 9X, launched by INX
Media Pvt. Ltd, had a share of 0.9%, as per data from Audience
Measurement and Analytics Ltd (Amap), an audience tracking firm. These
three channels were launched last year.

MARKET SHARE OF HINDI ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS In

5% 2%1%
1%
3% Star Plus
6% 33% ZEE TV
Sony TV

4% Sahara One
Star TV
9X
ZEE Next
NDTV Imagine
SAB Set
20%
Other

25%

the week to January 26, both Zee TV and Star Plus lost market share in
Hindi general entertainment segment as NDTV Imagine, NDTV’s new
entertainment channel, made an entry at seventh place with 5.4 per cent
market share. NDTV Imagine was officially launched January 21. In its
first week, the channel surpassed INX Media channel 9X’s 3.7 per cent
share. Zee Next, which was launched December, was in 11th place with 1.3
per cent market share. Zee TV shed market share of 260 basis points to
stand at 25.3 per cent share for the week, while Star Plus lost 180 basis
points to end the week to January 26 at 31.5 per cent.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

COMPETITORS
Increasing competition has seen some players trying to differentiate
themselves from the rest of the crowd.
 Zee Next, for instance, has positioned itself as a “younger sibling” of Zee
TV, with programming targeted at the relatively younger viewers of general
entertainment channels.
 UTV’s Bindass refuses to call itself a general entertainment channel.
“We’re a youth entertainment channel,” said Zarina Mehta, CEO, GenX
Entertainment Ltd, the UTV subsidiary that houses the Bindass bouquet of
channels. “I don’t mind if we are at the bottom of TRPs (television rating
points) because our programming targets the youth and that’s not as big as
a universe that others target.”
 Indrani Mukerjea, founder and group executive director INX Media Pvt
Ltd 9X, said, 'Our aim is to make 9X the one-stop shop for fiction and non-
fiction entertainment, and our content will be distinctive and compelling. It
will have the very best of global production standards customized for the
Indian audience,'

The competition in this space is likely to intensify as there may be three

more launches this year. Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Viacom18 Media
Pvt. Ltd and a yet-to-be named 50:50 joint venture between Alva Brothers
(Viacom18 is a 50:50 JV between Viacom Inc. and the Network18 Group), and
Turner International India Pvt. Ltd are set to launch their Hindi general
entertainment channels sometime soon.

STRAIGHT FROM THE RIVALS MOUTH

“The only two shows that are working are Ramayana and Dharam veer. That
latter because they cashed in on the popularity of the young actor who played
Prithiviraj Chauhan on Star Plus,” says the Star India spokesperson.
Joy Chakrabarty, president and head of revenue at Zee Entertainment also says
that only Ramayana seems to be working for NDTV Imagine and notching up a
rating of 2.

Media experts say that the channel has kept away from the back-to-back
melodramas which have caused viewer fatigue on most other channels.
“Ramayana is indeed a masterstroke since Indians are still interested in Ram.
However, it remains to be seen if its magic will wear off,” says media industry
veteran.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

NDTV IMAGINE’S STRATEGY

REACHING THE MASSES

A channel that’s in the prime band is carried in a prominent

position (or channel number) by the cable network—this increases the
chances of a channel being viewed because a large number of TV sets in
the country can still feature only a limited number of channels.

TAPPING CONSUMER’S SENSITIVITY

“While most others took the soap (opera) route, Imagine went in for
the mythology route in the form of Ramayan and that seems to have
worked, at least, so far,” said Salil Pitale, who heads the media practice at
the investment banking division of Enam Securities Pvt. Ltd. “The NDTV
brand, Karan Johar’s backing and the management team headed by
Sameer Nair seem to have worked. They have got a placement in prime
band in most places, which shows they have struck coherent distribution
deals,” added Pitale.

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

As an incentive to attract advertisers in the next four months, NDTV

Imagine has decided to keep 5 minutes of advertising time for every
hour of programming.
“This is done to provide a clutter-free climate to advertisers. Hence,
for a 30-minute show there will be one ad break. If advertisers want any
mileage, they will come on early,” Nair said.

Other GEC’s such as Star Plus, Zee TV and Sony TV have 8-12
minutes of advertising per hour of programming, said a senior media
planner.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

ANSOFF’S CLASSIC MODEL OF GROWTH STRATEGY

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

According to the Ansoff’s Classic Model for Growth Stage, above

stated strategies should be adopted were General Entertainment Space is

Current product New product

Strategies for Market Product development
Penetration strategies

Existing  Increase market share  Product improvement

market  Increase product usage  Product line extension
- increase frequency of use  New product for same
- increase quantity used market

Strategies for Innovation and Strategies for Technological

Expansion in Market innovation and diversification

 Expand market for existing  Vertical integration:

product Forward integration
New market - Geographic expansion Backward integration
- Target new segments  Diversification into related
business (concentric
diversification)
 Diversification into unrelated
business (conglomerate
diversification)

already an existing market and NDTV Imagine is a new product.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
For this project the medium of research methodology was

 Primary Data - Primary data is the first hand data. In primary

data we have used questionnaire format from
which we then analyzed the data.

 Secondary Data -In secondary data we have used desk

information i.e. used information from
internet, magazines, articles etc.

PRIMARY DATA
The small sample survey was done by us i.e. 25 respondents. The
survey was done on NDTV Imagine channel and its popularity among
population in shorter period of launch time. The data was analyzed and
evaluated on the responses of the respondents taken by us.

PUBLIC RESPONSE:
The analysis was about people’s interest in watching different
channels with variety of programmes.
According to our survey conducted, we came to know that out of
100% population of sample size likes Varieties of Interest
Any other
to watch: Devotional 3%
Know ledge
oriented
9%
12%

o sports channels– 20% Know ledge oriented

o knowledge oriented– 12% Sports New s New s

o news channels - 22%

20% 23% Entertaintment
Sports
o Devotional – 9% Devotional
o Entertainment channel – 33 % Any other

o Any other – 3%
Entertaintment
33%

This statistics shows us that NDTV can capture major market share as it
already has existing market share in news channel area.

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MEDIUM OF ADVERTISEMENT:

The analysis was about respondent’s awareness through various

medium of advertisement.
According to our survey conducted, we came to know that out of
100% population of sample size which came to aware through:

o TV Ads – 15 Advertisement
o Newspaper – 7 Numbers
o Hoardings – 2 15
16
o Pamphlet – 1 14
no. of respondent
12
10
8 7
6
4
2
2 1
0
0
News Hoardings Pamplet TV Ads Any other
paper
mode of adv.

PUBLIC KNOWING NDTV IMAGINE:

There are sample size who are aware of NDTV Imagine i.e. 72%
(18 respondents) out of 100% population of sample i.e. 25 respondents.
NDTV Imagine still has 28% of market to be captured which can be done
by using proper medium of advertisement i.e. TV in which it already has
channels through which it can do with fewer expenses to be incurred.

o No of people watch – 18
o No of people not watch - 7
awareness of channel

No
28%

Yes
No

Yes
72%

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE

• Introduction – Informative – Tell consumers about the company

and the product. Informative advertising is used to inform
consumers about a new product or feature and to build primary
demand.
• Growth – Persuasive – The market is competitive; the company will
have to encourage consumers to watch over their competitors. As
most of the target audience becomes aware of the product and
competition in the category increases, organizations move to
Persuasive advertising which has the objective of building
selective demand for a brand by persuading consumers that it offers
them the best value.

From the above PLC diagram, it can be easily evaluated that NDTV
Imagine is in introduction stage.

• Now it is on the path of growth, so they have to formulate

appropriate strategies to create brand image in the
entertainment industry.
• In introduction stage, NDTV Imagine have low profits & high
expense due penetration in the existing market.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Following are the measures which NDTV Imagine can use to shift from
introduction to full fledge growth stage.

 CONVERT NON-USER TO USER

In this stages the NDTV Imagine have to attract the viewers towards
their channel.
They can do this by various promotion technique .i.e. advertisements
on various channel, hoarding, e.g., Hoardings of Ramayan, Dharam
Veer... at supermarkets, restaurants, and theme parks, etc. i.e. places
that are frequented by families.

 CREAT NEW SEGMENT (Geographic allocation)

The NDTV Imagine has to cover all location of states. The frequency of
channel should cover even the rural places. Awareness of channel will
play a huge demand of their channel among the viewers.

 SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship is a strategy used to increase product awareness and build
relationships. Organizations use sponsorships to gain exposure to the
audience.
Investments in events or causes would help NDTV Imagine have more
sponsors and in turn would also increase the number of viewer ship of
the channel. Thus Publicity through conducting events could be gained.

 EVENT MARKETING
Event marketing is a rapidly growing facet of marketing
communications. Marketers select events to sponsor based on the
target audience.
NDTV Imagine should have tie – ups with Award Functions for these
Event marketing. This would help them built their brand image.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

OTHER STRATEGIES

Entry Strategy:
Avoid competitors from gaining market share by introducing flanker
programmes, e.g., airing a popular Hindi movie in the same time slot
where competitors' main programme is aired.

Fill Up Strategy: Position firmly in the time slot where the leader is not
very good at, like at 9-10 pm.

Focus Strategy:
Have timely innovations based on audience feedback.

Expansion Strategy:
Gain viewer ship by launching attractive programmes like star
shows, game shows, in non-prime time slots.

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LIMITATIONS

We wanted to stick to a topic which would come to no one’s mind

easily thus leading us to have a unique topic and this is how we decided on
NDTV Imagine.

But the channel is just new in the market so doing a research on

this topic was very much difficult and restricted.
There were no books, cases or any other research done in other words no
other medium was there, which we could use as a guideline for
extracting our conclusion.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

CONCLUSION

Through the study we got to understand that there are major players who
would like to consolidate their positions while there are new channels
which are increasingly posing a threat to them.

The fact that NDTV Imagine is a newly entered product with pretty good
market share, it still needs to fold its sleeves and gear up to remain stable
in the market and has a long way to become a Market Leader.

With our suggested recommendations and strategies NDTV Imagine

would be able to have a good position in the growth stage.

With immense advertising revenues and viewer ship at stake, the channel
needs to continually assess and re-assess their strategies.

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

Questionnaire

1) Personal information

a. Name :
b. Age :
c. Education :
d. Gender :
e. Occupation / Professional :
f. No. of family member :

2) How many members watch TV?

3) Age group of members who watches T.V.?

5-15 16-25 25-40 40 +

4) Which types of programs you prefer to watch on TV?

Knowledge Based Entertainment News Sports

Devotional Any other Specify

5) At what time in your house the family members watch T.V.?

9.00 – 12.00 am 12.00 – 3.00 pm 3.00 – 6.00 pm

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 Marketing Strategy on NDTV Imagine

6.00 – 9.00 pm 9.00 – 12 .00 am

6) How many channels you know on T.V?

7) How many hours do you watch T.V?

1 Hour 2 Hours 3 Hours 5 Hours

8) Which channels you watch frequently?

9) Do you have any idea about NDTV Channels?

Yes No

10) How did you get to know about it?

Newspaper Hoardings Pamphlets T.V. ads

Any Other Specify

11) Have you seen NDTV Imagine Channel?

Yes No

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12) Which programs did you liked watching most in the NDTV imagine?

13) Did you like watching NDTV Imagine Channel?

Yes No

14) What was unique as per your opinion?

15) Any other programs that you would like to watch on this channel?

16) Which languages would you prefer the programs to be telecasted in?

English Hindi Marathi

Any Other Specify

17) Would you like the channel to telecast Hindi movies on this channel?

All days of the week only on the weekends

18)Your Comments Regarding the television channels ( If any)

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

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WEBLIOGRAPHY

 http://entertainment.in.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1189013

 http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1251078

 http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php?file=story&id=3431

 http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/05232619/Ramayan-puts-NDTV-
Imagine-ahea.html

 http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/feb/feb30.php

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Book - Production Management in India

 Book – Marketing Strategy By Walker & Boyd

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